Archives for May 2018

We visited the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show and found that many familiar kitchen features appear to be here to stay

If you’re looking for some insight into the coming kitchen trends for 2018 and beyond, or if you’re just looking for some fresh ideas to give your kitchen style an update, the recent Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Orlando, Florida, might offer some clues. My design team and I spotted plenty of great ideas there, and the following is a collection of some of our favorites. (If you’re looking for bathroom inspiration, check out some favorite bathroom ideas we also spotted at KBIS.)

Americans are addicted to their cellphones, but that’s not exactly fresh news. There is something unnerving about our obsession, though.

The stats from this infographic shows exactly how far our cellphone overuse goes. The average American uses their phone around 3 hours a day, and we’re checking our cell phones roughly 110 times per day!

At age of 40, Jeff, the oil company executive, tried to learn to play a small song on the Casio keyboard that he bought for his children. He quickly went on to play many original works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Elton John, Billy Joe, John Lennon, and Jay Chou … all because he built a notation system that anyone can read immediately. The patented Hao Staff (named after him and referenced against the traditional Grand Staff music notation) is now already used by thousands of people.

At age of 40, Jeff, the oil company executive, tried to learn to play a small song on the Casio keyboard that he bought for his children. He quickly went on to play many original works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Elton John, Billy Joe, John Lennon, and Jay Chou … all because he built a notation system that anyone can read immediately. The patented Hao Staff (named after him and referenced against the traditional Grand Staff music notation) is now already used by thousands of people. That number is expected to grow into tens of millions in the near future, and hopefully, will teach people around the world how to play the piano in a matter of minutes.

Your home is probably one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make, so adding features or maintaining what you already own is very important.

Adding value to your property doesn’t need to be a complicated or costly venture. If you want to work your way up the property ladder to purchase your dream home, it’s useful to know about ways you can increase your own property’s value to get the most out of a sale. Even the smallest changes around the house that might have skipped your mind can add heaps to your property value.

It’s especially useful to check with your local building control office if you require building regulations or planning permission on jobs you’re thinking of doing to your home. If the changes you intend on making are on a larger scale – make sure you get your neighbors on board with your ideas so you’re not met with nasty surprises when you submit your planning application form.

Remember that every home has its ceiling price – and we’re here to make sure your costs don’t outweigh your potential profit. Read our exciting infographic on 24 different ways you can increase your property value:

Break out of the box with these creative ideas for contemporary plantings and hardscapes

You don’t need a modern home to embrace modern and contemporary design ideas in your garden. In fact, many principles of modern garden design — clean lines, structural plant forms and restrained color palettes — and the peaceful atmosphere they create, can work especially well in more traditional-style landscapes, which emphasize structure and uniformity.

If you’re looking to revamp your garden this spring, take a look at these eight ideas from contemporary gardens for some out-of-the-box inspiration.